It never occurred to me that I'd end up at a school where I couldn't wear sweatpants to class without getting concerned looks. Then again, that wasn't a major concern in my college search. I didn't wear pajamas or sweats to class in high school because I didn't want to get the dreaded demerit or any other type of terrifying condemnation. Little did I know what awaited me at U.Va.
I went through my first year relatively undisturbed by the preppy status quo. But what happens when you feel the urge to wear a T-shirt without pearls and designer jeans? Or (God forbid) sweatpants? I tested this out last year by wearing sweatpants on a non-exam day. "What's wrong with you?" my friends asked. "Are you sick? Do you have a midterm? Was there a death in the family?"
How could I tell them I was just lazy? Or more to the point, it was cold and I forgot it was not socially acceptable to wear sweatpants.
With Facebook groups such as "U.Va.: Where Your Best Hasn't Been Good Enough Since 1819" and "I Want my High School GPA Back Club," it's clear this school is full of people who leave high school at the top and come here to find themselves average. And for the kids who freaked out because of a B+ in high school (face it, you were one of them), an "average" grade here of, say, a B translates more to: "You are mediocre and fail at life."
It's just not about grades here, though. Oh no, we don't get the luxury of those Harvard kids of just being nerds. Although other schools are always harping on that work/play balance, is there any college in America that attracts the kind of absurd all-around overachievers who go to U.Va.? The problem with U.Va. lies in the fact that it just can't freakin' decide. Are we a state party school or a prestigious liberal arts college? Oh right, we defy that kind of categorization, we're a "Public Ivy." Who comes up with this stuff? And what does this mean for you?
Well I'll tell you. It means you have to be fun and smart. Be cute and go out -- but make sure to be in the library the next day. Obviously. We don't go to one of those schools that get on "Girls Gone Wild." We do, however, have an alumna who's a Playboy Bunny.
I've found this makes for a very odd combination, especially fashion-wise. People may scoff at a girl wearing heels and a face full of makeup for an 8 a.m. After all, doesn't she have studying to do? But then again, if you see a girl like that at what for me would actually be more like a 1 p.m., chances are she has plenty of studying to do. And she does it. As well as being a triple major, a UGuide, a PD for Madison House and possibly a part-time model and/or Jeff Scholar. Some people do wear sweatpants to class, and I'm not saying they get called out as lepers. But will you please look at the average student in the library? I think so many people look polished in an ever-so-slightly Stepford Wives-ish way here because they clearly need to look stylish and attractive, but they don't have time to actually read fashion magazines or question why they have to dress up to study. If you have to stay physically in shape, socially active, intellectually in tune -- well something has to give.
Occasionally, it gets to be a little too much for a girl. When that happens, I decide to forgo fashion and look like a total and utter scrub. I know this isn't JMU, and it probably isn't socially acceptable. But in my humble opinion, real life is for looking presentable at all times and doing steady amounts of work. This is college. And when I stop caring about all the crazy overachievers, sometimes my outfits get better and sometimes they suffer. At times I get out of balance, and I discover I have a 12-page paper due the next day, a club meeting and I absolutely have to go on the elliptical. When that happens, I may just have to bring out the Uggs to deal with the bitter Virginia weather.
Sorry y'all.
Alex's column runs biweekly Thursday. She can be reached at jospin@cavalierdaily.com.
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